Guide to Cat Breed Personality Traits

Which breed of cat is right for you? Researching breed personalities before adopting helps to ensure a good match between owner and cat.

Each cat breed has a typical set of personality traits and behavioural qualities. Of course there will always be exceptions, but if you’re interested in adopting a purebred, you can increase the likelihood of getting a cat whose temperament is in harmony with your own by doing a bit of breed research beforehand.

Making a list of qualities that you’d like in a cat can help in choosing a breed. Do you like talkative cats, or prefer a cat that is not particularly noisy or demanding? Do you want a very active cat that may be a bit more of a handful, or a peaceful, quiet cat that will sit on your lap for hours on end? Are you concerned about whether or not your new cat will get along with a resident dog? The following breed characteristics may help in making a selection.

Sociable Cat Breeds

Many people prefer an extroverted cat. Some of the more outgoing cat breeds include:

Intelligence varies widely within each breed, so it’s impossible to rank every breed based on this trait. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the following may be among the more clever breeds overall, but there are brighter and duller cats within each breed:

There is significant variance in longevity based on medical care and whether or not cats are allowed outside. With good veterinary care and barring accidents or severe medical problems, anecdotal evidence suggests that Siamese and Manx cats are among the longest-lived breeds.

Lap Cats

While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, breeds that are more inclined toward lap-sitting include:

Tonkinese cats may lap-sit, but they are more likely to prefer sitting on their favourite humans’ shoulders.

Quiet, Undemanding Cat Breeds

Quiet, undemanding cat breeds include:

Birman

Bombay

Chartreux

Havana Brown

Himalayan

Nebelung

Persian

Ragdoll

Russian Blue

Scottish Fold

Selkirk Rex

“Doglike” Cats

The Manx is probably the most doglike breed of cat. Manx cats are more amenable to learning tricks than most breeds, and many will even play fetch. They are also more likely to be comfortable traveling in vehicles, and tend to follow their favourite humans around the house. Other cats with doglike traits include:

American Curl

Burmese

Chartreux

Cornish Rex

Devon Rex

Japanese Bobtail

Maine Coon

Ocicat (also one of the easiest breeds to leash-train)

Scottish Fold

Siberian

Turkish Van

Laid Back Cat Breeds That Usually Get Along with Cat-Friendly Dogs and Kids

While many cats can learn to tolerate or even enjoy the company of dogs, the Scottish Fold, Ocicat, and Burmese are actually inclined to like dogs. Laid-back breeds breeds are also more inclined to get along with other pets and children. Some of the more easy-going breeds include:

Any breed of cat is more likely to accept a dog or another cat if the introductions are handled properly. For information on how to smooth the first contact between a resident pet and a new adoptee, see Introducing a New Dog to Your Cat.

Highly Active Cat Breeds

For those who want a lively, high-energy cat, the best choices are usually:

In addition to personality, time may be an issue. Long-haired breeds such as Persians and Himalayans are not a good choice for those who don’t have the time to groom their cats daily to prevent tangles and hairballs. For those who like the Persian face and body type but don’t have a lot of time to spend on grooming, the Exotic, also known as “the Lazy Man’s Persian,” is a shorthaired variant.

Another factor to take into account is cat allergies. For cat lovers who suffer from allergies, anecdotal evidence suggests that Siberian and Devon and Cornish and Rex cats are less likely to produce allergic reactions than other breeds. Allergy sufferers should spend time with the cat to be adopted or a different cat of the same breed to gauge allergic reactions before adopting.

To read detailed profiles of the cat breeds listed above, see the Cat Breeds page. For a full list of cat articles, see the main Cats page.